Distance
by Oblivion Star Seeker
Summary: For no matter the fact that they could not see each other too often or embrace in public as other couples could, they knew they would still be there for each other, in the end. Lolishotashipping/Darksteelshipping. Rating is for implied sexual themes.


_Distance_

* * *

She was the first one to arrive in the conference room.

It was not much of a surprise to her, however. The Sinnoh champion had a habit of being punctual and arriving before anyone else for designated League conferences like this one. Today, it involved a meeting in Unova between her fellow champions discussing the state of things, all organized by Unova's own champion, Alder. While her own region was doing well after the incident with Team Galactic (happening just over a year ago), news of a suspicious organization in Unova had risen not long after which concerned the well-being of the entire populace and land.

She remembered hearing stories in newspapers and on television of Team Plasma's antics – to liberate all pokémon from every single trainer and their leader becoming the sole ruler of Unova. Simply hearing about it nearly caused her and several other champions, to step in and help. But Alder refuted, having managed to take down the criminals with the aid of the gym leaders and a talented trainer to bring back peace to the land – or so she had heard. Alder had said the full story would be explained during the meeting.

Cynthia stood by the window, gazing at the scenery outside, when she heard the doors to the room opening. She averted her attention to the champions of Kalos, Johto, and Kanto all entering moments later.

"First one here again, Cynthia?" she heard Diantha remark with amusement. "My, and I thought we'd be first, this time!"

The Sinnoh champion smiled softly when she was enveloped in a tight hug after the brunette came to her. "I just decided to come in a bit early, is all," she said. "It's so good to see you again, Diantha, it's been a long time."

Kalos' champion smiled. "Indeed, it has."

"I've heard that a new film of yours is currently in the works, by the way," Cynthia added.

The movie star nodded happily. "Oh, yes, and it's coming along very well! We're still in the production stage but thank Arceus this meeting didn't overlap with our filming times. My schedule's been all over the place for the past month or so, to be honest."

"I would think that comes with the responsibility of being both an actress and champion, Diantha."

Cynthia looked up when Lance's low tone spoke out. He neared the both of them with the champion of Kanto in tow.

"Lance, Red, a pleasure to see you two again, as well," she greeted them both.

"And you too, Cynthia," the dragon master said.

Red only nodded curtly, though she did not expect much of an answer from him, anyway.

Kanto's champion was indeed quite a mysterious trainer, she often thought. It was difficult to recall if she had ever heard the teen speak before since he often kept to himself. He was a trainer of few words, despite being known as one of the strongest trainers.

"I suppose that makes four of the six who are coming," Diantha said after the exchange of pleasantries.

Cynthia appeared surprised. "Oh, there are only six of us today?" she wondered aloud.

"Alder mentioned it would be a small group," Lance agreed, "but I don't think I caught that memo, either."

"Well, I'm not sure who the other one is, besides Alder, to be honest," the brunette quickly explained. "He only mentioned six because we are the ones who he could get in contact with on such short notice."

Cynthia pursed her lips. "I see."

She remembered getting the memo one evening, a week ago, just as she was about to retire for bed asking if she could attend. The concept of time zones seemed to have left the man's mind, to her dismay. Fortunately, her schedule was free for a few days that week and she was willing to fly over to attend.

But in truth, discussing the state of Unova was not the _only _reason she decided to come.

The champions in the room took their seats at the long table as they waited for the remaining attendees to join them. It was nearly ten minutes later that the doors burst open and in came the Unova champion, appearing a bit winded.

Lance raised an eyebrow at his sudden arrival. "You're late."

Alder scratched the back of his neck. "Sorry, folks," he said apologetically as he looked at everyone. "I got caught up in a…slight dilemma on the way here."

Lance sighed. "Let me guess," he began, "you got lost, didn't you?"

The older man simply gawked at his sudden accusation. "What – of course not!" he denied the dragon's master's claims, albeit a bit too excessively. "This building's pretty big, if I do say so myself, but I know my way around."

Lance merely shook his head as the corner of his lips twitched ever so slightly.

"Well, now that you're here, Alder, who else is coming?" the Kalos champion asked as she redirected the topic at hand.

Alder looked around at everyone's faces at the table before saying, "Ah, yes, Steven should be coming soon, actually."

Cynthia quirked a brow. "Steven's coming?"

Through her peripherals, she thought she might have seen Diantha giving her a curious stare when she said it, but she ignored the feeling.

"Of course," Alder replied. "He was the first person I had asked to come, actually. Funny how it looks like he'll be the last –"

As if on cue, the doors opened once again to reveal the Hoenn champion, walking in rather casually. They watched as the young man took a couple of steps into the room only to stop in his tracks once he saw the others seated at the table.

"Oh, hello…you're all here already?" he commented with some confusion in his tone. He glanced at Alder. "Did I miss something?"

"You're late, as well, Steven," Lance replied matter-of-factly. "We were supposed to start ten minutes ago."

"Really? That's odd…" The Hoenn champion pulled out his pokénav from his pocket. "…I could have sworn I made it right on time."

Alder clapped him on the back and smiled. "Good to see you, Mr. Stone, and don't worry about it," he assured the young man. "Everyone's here now so we can get started immediately. Just take a seat anywhere."

As the Unova champion went over to sit at the head of the table, Cynthia watched as Steven crossed the room and took the chair almost directly across from her. When he looked up, his cerulean eyes met her grey ones and she felt her body tense up. Her cheeks threatened to blush at the eye contact but thankfully, the moment was short-lived. Steven merely sent her a polite smile before looking over to focus his attention on Alder who was beginning to speak already. She had to take in a silent breath to calm her racing heart and did the same.

Unbeknownst to her, was the Kalos champion sitting right next to her, having observed the entire silent exchange. The corner of her lips curled upwards.

* * *

The meeting ended an hour later. Alder had informed them that the areas in Unova affected by the damages done by Team Plasma were well on their way to full recovery, though there was still much work to be done. Unfortunately the place that sustained the most was the Pokémon League. It proved to be quite the inconvenience for future candidates wanting to fight for the champion title, but there was hardly anything to be done about the situation. Any incoming challenges were postponed, he had explained, unless they were to relocate for the time being.

Alder cleared his throat. "Anyhow, I think that sums up everything for what Unova's been up to in the past few months," he said with a tone of finality. "Anyone else want to share anything?"

There were a few murmurs heard between the group before Steven began to speak in a loud enough tone that all eyes turned towards him. He was staring directly at Cynthia.

"I'd like to know how Sinnoh has been faring since the Team Galactic incident, if you'd be willing to share, Cynthia" he said, lacing his fingers together on the table.

Diantha nodded, fiddling with the special Mega Stone pendant that hung around her neck. "Oh yes, how _is_ everything in Sinnoh right now, Cynthia?"

Cynthia tore her gaze off the Hoenn champion to look around at everyone else. "Everything has been going well," the Sinnoh champion replied. "The remnants of the Team Galactic buildings in Eterna and Veilstone have been taken care of and all the harmful equipment they possessed has been taken in for dismantling."

"And the lake pokémon are all safe?" she heard Lance say.

She smiled and continued to say, "It's difficult to say for certain, but from what I personally think, I'm sure they've returned to their lake caverns safely."

Having witnessed the horror and grand spectacle of what took place on Mt. Coronet for herself was an experience she would never forget. Being able to go into the Distortion World and seeing the legendary pokémon was a whole epic adventure she never would have expected to take place in her lifetime. It was absolutely incredible yet terrifying at the same time.

And seeing that young trainer go up to stop Cyrus and the rampaging Giratina was truly extraordinary. It was such a burden to place on the shoulders of someone so young yet they fought through the peril with ease.

"I feel that Sinnoh finally is at peace once again," she said quietly, feeling relieved to be able to say it after so long.

Steven nodded, smiling faintly. "That's good to hear." Their eyes met each other once again, and neither of them looked away until Alder's voice rung loudly throughout the room.

"Well, I suppose we can wrap up this meeting then," he said as he stood up from his seat. "I don't know about you guys, but all this talking's made me hungry! Anyone up for some late afternoon lunch? There's a place just down the street which I think serves the best food in all of Castelia City."

"Don't you think having six champions all entering a restaurant would draw quite the attention?" Diantha asked warily.

Lance nodded in agreement. "Diantha has a point, Alder," he said. "Besides, I was planning to leave for Johto right after."

"Well, if none of you are willing to come I'll just ask everyone else." The Unova champion then turned to the remaining three with the same question.

Red merely shook his head.

Steven's response was similar. "I think I'll pass," he hastily replied. "Sorry."

Alder appeared disappointed by the lack of enthusiasm and agreement from the others. Then he turned his attention to the Sinnoh champion, gazing at her expectantly.

"What about you, Cynthia?" he asked her with a grin. "Care to join me for lunch?"

The notion was flattering but she did not even have to ponder about her answer. There were no hard feelings for the man – she just simply had no interest in humouring the idea of accepting his offer. To her amusement, she was not at all oblivious to the way Steven's jaw clenched at the man's request as he sent him a hard stare.

"I'm afraid I have a previous engagement already after we finish this meeting," she said.

Alder visibly displayed his displeasure with a frown. "I guess it can't be helped, then." He sighed.

Everyone stood up from their seats after that. Lance was the first to leave after taking the time to say his farewells with everyone. Red followed soon after with no more than a wave and polite smile. Steven hung back when Alder had to ask the man a quick question ("Have you heard that you can mine for emerald over in Driftveil City?" he mentioned to him), which left the two female champions to exit the room together.

"Well, that certainly might not have been the most productive meeting I've been to, but I'm glad to know Unova is doing well," the brunette told her. They stood in front of the elevator doors, waiting for the next lift, a few floors away from theirs. "And Sinnoh, too."

She smiled. "Like Alder said, there is still some repairs that need to be done back home as well, actually."

"Speaking of Alder," Diantha began in a quieter tone as she nudged the blonde with her elbow. "Where are you headed off to right now?"

Cynthia blinked. "Pardon me?"

"You said it yourself earlier," the brunette replied. "Are you _really_ going somewhere after this?"

The elevator doors opened just moments after and she got in after the brunette. "O-Oh, that was – no, I'm not, actually," she said as she pressed the button to take them down.

Diantha chuckled. "It was just to get out of Alder asking you out, wasn't it?"

Cynthia only grimaced at the thought, which was enough of an answer for her friend. It certainly was not the first time that it had happened to her, though she tried not to think about it too much. She was flattered by his invitation but she only saw the Unova champion simply as a colleague of hers, nothing more.

"Or is it that you've taken an interest in someone finally?"

The Sinnoh champion stiffened. Perhaps it was just her imagination but it seemed as though Diantha had said it almost _knowingly_, as if she knew more than she should have. But that in itself was absurd to think about, she thought.

Cynthia sighed. "You _know_ I have no time for any of that with everything that's been going on, Diantha."

"I suppose I do," Diantha said exasperatedly. "But you _know_ that even champions deserve some time for themselves, too. Might I suggest coming to Kalos some time? Just to unwind, at least – if not to find romance. I'm sure Sinnoh wouldn't mind if their champion were to take a small leave for a few weeks."

The blonde smiled good-naturedly. "We'll see."

The elevator doors opened moments later, taking them to the ground floor finally. Cynthia followed after the Kalos champion until stopping upon a sudden realization. Diantha caught notice of this and turned around with a confused expression.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Cynthia brought a hand to her forehead. "I left my bag in the room," she noted with irritation. "I need to go back and get it."

"Oh…I'll come with you, then."

Cynthia shook her head. "It's fine, I can get it by myself," she assured the Kalos champion as she made for the elevator again.

Diantha hesitated. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, of course. Don't worry, I'll be in Unova for the next few days so I'm sure we can make plans during the week."

The brunette still appeared unconvinced but she nodded anyway. "Well, alright then." She watched as the blonde went back into the lift and waved. "It was nice seeing you again, Cynthia!"

Cynthia waved back just as the doors began to close.

The elevator felt like it took its time in getting her back to the floor and the music from the speakers above did not help the growing impatience within her, either. All the while, she tapped her foot against the floor and berated herself mentally for her irresponsibility. The key to her hotel room and everything else was in there and without it, she would surely find herself screwed from entering. She was glad, however, that she had realized before leaving the building otherwise the result would have been disastrous.

The doors opened after a ding and she rushed forward until she crashed into the Hoenn champion, who had been standing on the other side.

Steven reacted with a jolt when she bumped into him.

"Cynthia?"

"O-Oh, Steven, it's just you," she said with relief when she looked up. If it had been someone else, the embarrassment would have been tenfold from what she was already experiencing.

He grinned with amusement. "I assume you're looking for this?"

Her eyes widened when he held up a black handbag she recognized to be hers. She instantly let out a sigh of relief. "Yes! Thank _Arceus_, you found it."

Steven smiled. "It's no problem," he said as he handed the possession back to her. "You left it on the seat next to you earlier."

She still had not gotten over her carelessness. "I know and thank you for going through that trouble."

Curiously, she peered into the empty hallway around him.

"Is Alder not with you?"

He seemed to stiffen at the sound of the man's name, but he shook his head and replied, "No, he said he'd take the stairs."

Cynthia raised a brow at this. Whatever Alder's reason for taking the long way down, she did not know but she decided not to comment any further on the matter.

"Are you going down?"

"Oh, yes, of course."

She shuffled to the side to let him through as he wordlessly stepped in and pressed the button to the ground floor.

The elevator started to move seconds later once the doors closed and a pregnant silence came before them. The soft music from the elevator was deafening. She adjusted the strap of her bag lying on her shoulder when she felt the need to say something to break the silence between them. Thus, Cynthia turned her head as she began to say, "Steven –"

And that was when she felt a pair of hands grab her face and a familiar pair of warm lips press against hers, which garnered a startled noise from her. Yet, despite her initial shock, she responded most eagerly as she clutched the front of his shirt and felt him pulling her closer by the waist.

When he pulled back, he gazed into her grey eyes.

"I've missed you," was what he whispered soon after and she felt her stomach overflow with bliss.

She smiled as she pressed her face into the crook of his neck, inhaling the familiar scent of his skin.

"I've missed you, too," she murmured against his skin. "I'm surprised that you came in late today."

"Blame my pokénav," he replied. "I'll have to take it to my father for repairs once I return home."

A sudden wave of apprehension washed over her as she glanced around the moving elevator.

"You know, I think there are probably cameras somewhere here."

He responded by tightening his arms around her. "I couldn't care less about that, right now," he said. "Forgive me for wanting to kiss my girlfriend whom I have not seen in so long."

Cynthia had to roll her eyes at that. It was the truth – it'd been nearly a month since they last saw each another in person and she felt just as eager to want to hold him, as well. Even though she had known that he was attending, that did not stop her heart from racing when she saw him enter through the doors.

"Are you heading off somewhere now?" she asked.

"Not particularly, no." He reached up to pat down her blonde hair. "Although I seem to recall you saying, earlier, that you had a 'previous engagement' to go to after the meeting."

She smiled sweetly and pulled back from his embrace a little. "I lied," she said.

"So, I take it you're free, then?"

"That depends if I find something worthwhile to occupy my time," the Sinnoh champion replied. "But I think I have an idea for the both of us."

"Oh?" He gazed at her curiously. "And what would that be, exactly?"

With an alluring smile, she leaned up to whisper her response in his ear and slowly, a knowing grin passed over his features.

* * *

The sound of his heartbeat, as she rested her head against his bare chest, was what woke her up from her mid-afternoon nap. They both lay against his bed inside the apartment, within the city, he had purchased for the convenience of having a place to stay in Unova for his excavation trips. Essentially, it boasted for more privacy instead of heading for her hotel room because what resulted between the two, once they entered his small home, was simply driven by the strong passion and desire they craved for the other after having been apart for too long.

They had fallen asleep within each other's embrace until she awoke hours later.

Cynthia sighed in contentment. It amazed her to think this kind of intimacy between them had been going on for almost a year now.

Under the stress of helping to piece Sinnoh back together a month after Team Galactic struck the region, she remembered he and several other champions, had offered her their support in the aftermath of the crisis.

It was during the aftermath that Steven had found her overworking herself by having to travel from one city to the next, wanting to do whatever she could to help but hardly getting enough time to rest. He had suggested that she take a break, now that the crisis itself had been eliminated. She had initially relented, but had given in to what he said when she realized that what he spoke was true. She had only wanted to make things right again since there was a gut feeling within her that made her feel partly responsible for letting something so horrible happen in her region.

But he reassured her, one evening, that none of it could have been her fault. There was simply no way of telling what would have happened and surely everyone was already thankful for her help in taking them down. His words had struck a chord in her and she felt grateful for having him talk some sense into her.

She had known him for several years, through League connections. At the time, it seemed like a petty infatuation to her for she merely admired him for all he had contributed to the world. To her, there was surely no time to fit in a romance with the busy lives and schedules they led on a day-to-day basis – not to mention the fact that they lived in a two separate regions. It seemed like a mess to begin with.

Yet, one thing led to another and she was deeply surprised – happy, even – to find out his feelings for her paralleled her own. It had been a year since it began, but they kept this romance of theirs a secret from everyone, except their family. It was a matter of being able to keep their private lives to themselves, even from their colleagues. Except even _that_ proved to be quite the struggle.

Still, it was frustrating at times, knowing he lived in a far-off region and could only often make direct contact with him through video calls or talks on the phone. League meetings only happened several times a year and even then, it was difficult to make time to visit one another. But despite all of that, the distance apart did not really put any strain or make them any less close to each other. If it was simply being able to see his face through a screen or simply hear his voice talking to her, she would still get that same Butterfree feeling within from every chance they got. That was enough to keep her at ease.

Suddenly, she felt his arms shift around her bare form as he sighed deeply in his sleep.

Or at least, she thought he still was.

His eyes were still closed when he suddenly mumbled, "Cynthia?"

Cynthia lifted her head to look at him. "Yes?"

"Are you thinking again?"

Her lips curled into a smile when she saw his half-lidded eyes staring back at her. "Why do you say that?"

Steven grasped her fingers that had been, without her even realizing it, tracing the expanse of his toned muscles the entire time since she had woken up. A light blush dusted her cheeks upon realization.

"Sorry," she said with a light chuckle. She moved away from him to lay her head against the pillow beside him and stared at the blank ceiling above, clutching the sheets to her chest.

"Can I ask you something?" she then asked.

He rubbed his tired eyes before turning on his side and propping his head up with his elbow to gaze at her. "Of course."

Cynthia paused for a moment. "I've been thinking…don't you think it's odd that quite a few organizations have been appearing in the news and causing havoc lately?"

Steven nodded, toying with a lock of her blonde hair. "It _is_ rather peculiar, I admit," he agreed with her as she gazed at him expectantly.

"And it's all happened in recent years, too," she elaborated further. "For one thing, it's only been five years since the Team Rocket crisis in Kanto that Red had managed to take care of, and two years since Lance had to deal with them in again in Johto. And then Team Galactic showed up last year in Sinnoh…" She grimaced. "I hate to say it, but I wouldn't be surprised if something similar were to happen in another region very soon. These criminal syndicates seem to have no end."

Though it was usually not in her nature to judge other people's mind sets too harshly, she could not seem to wrap her mind around why all the leaders of these organizations strived for something so nefarious as ruling the world – or in Team Galactic's case, recreating the universe using Dialga and Palkia. The mere idea sounded ridiculous to her ears but the fact these groups reached a point where it was even minutely possible was troubling.

"But in the end, their plans have all been thwarted, right?" the Hoenn champion said. "If the next time something like that happens, which I pray it won't, we'll just have to keep our guard up."

Cynthia had to agree with that. People and pokémon have all lived together peacefully for so long and yet it looked like that was not going to change whatsoever.

"I probably shouldn't be worrying over something so trivial," she said quietly after a long pause.

But Steven shook his head. "No, that just means you're being realistic," he said. "I know that you care for everything that is good in this world, despite all of its flaws, and you show it with such poise and elegance. It's just one of the endless things I love about you, Cynthia."

She could not help but smile embarrassedly, feeling a sense of warmth engulf her entire core as he brought her into his arms once more.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Mr. Stone," she teased him when she felt him kiss her shoulder.

"But I mean it," he replied, kissing her cheek.

She turned on her side to face him, then, simply wanting to gaze at him. It still amazed her, even to this day, how she could have this wonderful man all to herself.

"You know, I've been thinking that maybe we should tell them soon," she heard him say.

Cynthia hummed in agreement, already knowing exactly what he was talking about without the need for him to elaborate.

"I'm sure some of them may suspect already," she replied softly thinking back to her talk with Diantha after the meeting and the way she ended up having to lie once more.

"I've had a few close calls with Wallace, actually," he told her, explaining how the gym leader had tried to convince him in attending double dates with him. His expression suddenly grew grim. "And besides, it would finally get Alder to stop asking you out every time he sees you."

That managed to garner a genuine laugh from her, knowing full well how irked Steven had been after the meeting, despite his best attempts to mask his reaction. And it was not the first time he had witnessed it happen.

"Do I sense a bit of jealousy?" she mused.

Steven frowned and said nothing, although it did not stop the blush from appearing over his cheeks.

Cynthia smiled in amusement. "When should we tell them, then?"

"Whenever you'd like," was all the Hoenn champion said before pressing his lips to her forehead. "Whatever happens, I'll still love you just the same."

She could hear the honesty in his voice as he spoke and through his soft gaze. She never used to think that she would ever find the one she thought could match her until she met him. His mere presence was enough to send her in a state of bliss and being held in his arms was a whole other kind of joy.

There was no way she could find herself living without him, she knew.

He ran his fingers through her long hair. "You have no idea how hard it was for me to not simply stare at you during the meeting, by the way," Steven said quietly. "Being a month away from you has been difficult."

She sighed. "I know," Cynthia murmured softly, staring at his chest. "But actually, while I was talking to Diantha earlier, she told me to visit Kalos one day."

Steven raised a brow. "Oh, really? And what are you possibly suggesting?"

"I suggest…" she started just before she pushed him down on his back to hover her face over his. She did not miss the light flush matting his cheeks as his blue eyes glanced appreciatively over her form. Her lips curled into a sultry smile. "…that after we tell them, we promise to take a small vacation together for a few weeks and go visit. I've heard Kalos is beautiful around the summer time."

Steven smirked. "That _is_ a rather tempting idea," he replied as his eyes flicked over to her lips. "I'm sure if we can find the time, I suppose we could go."

He tried to kiss her, but she had tilted her head back before he could and a look of disappointment crossed him soon after.

"You _suppose_?"

A light chuckle escaped him. "Fine, fine, I promise," he corrected himself. "Now can I mmph –?"

Cynthia went ahead and pressed her lips against his, this time. His arms instinctively tightened around waist. Hearing Steven whisper the three words she loved hearing moments later sent a rush of excitement and contentment through her that she could hardly think straight through the daze in her mind. It was once they separated that she closed her eyes and listened to the rise and fall of his chest against hers where she simply savoured the feeling of having him next to her once again.

For no matter the fact that they could not see each other too often or embrace in public as other couples could, they knew they would still be there for each other, in the end. A smiled touched her lips. Indeed, that was all they could ever care about.

* * *

_**fin**_


End file.
